Forklifts are extensively used in the handling of materials to be moved and to be stored both inside structures and outside, in various column volume locations, preferably utilizing pallets which are designed to have fork receiving volumes. Considerable skill is necessary for a forklift operator to quickly adjust the elevation of the forks to the proper vertical location before removing the forklift toward the load on the pallet to insert the forks into the fork receiving volumes.
Unfortunately operators of forklifts quite often begin inserting the forks when they are positioned either too high or too low. When the forks are not positioned at the correct vertical height, the tips of the forks can come into contact with the load to be lifted, thus damaging portions of the load.
The vertical height adjustment of the forks is usually accomplished by an operator of a forklift by his or her manual control of levers located in the control locale, while the operator is seated on the forklift. The operator generally undertakes the elevation adjustment or determination of the level of the forks, when the tips of the forks are in the range of six to twenty four inches in front of the load on a pallet to be moved. Once the operator judges that the forks are at the right height or elevation, then the operator, in reference to his skill level and/or judgment, drives the forklift forwardly in the range of slowly to quickly.
At this time or stage of the forklift moving forward, the forks, or fork, will sometimes miss entering the fork receiving volume and damage to a load may occur. At least, the forklift must be reversed by the operator and he or she will move the forks either up or down, and then drive the forklift forward again hoping that the second try will be successful. This second try and perhaps a third try, depending on the skill of the operator, is time consuming, often very frustrating to an operator, and unfortunately quite costly in respect to the damages sustained by portions of the load, i.e. products, materials and their packaging.
Operators with less experience often tend to be more careful and to move the forklift more slowly to avoid damaging portions of a load, yet on occasions they do cause damage. Operators with more experience, while tending to be careful, move their forklifts more quickly, yet on occasions they do cause damage.
Presently there is no known equipment, assembly, and/or accessory available for installation on a forklift to assist an operator in accurately determining the correct elevation of forks, or a fork, for entry into the fork receiving volume of a pallet, or a receiving volume of another type of load supporting and handling structure.
In respect to inventions set forth in U.S. patents with respect to alignments, directions, elevations, etc.:
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,329 of Jul. 7, 1987, Messrs. Lukowski and Hammill illustrate and describe their automatically guided vehicle control system, having a target member on a pallet, and a high intensity light source with an imaging sensor carried on a forklift truck. Their vehicle control system is used to guide a forklift to a pallet locale;
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,247 of Aug. 4, 1987, Harry B. Hammill III disclosed his target member for use in a positioning system. This target member is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,329, and both these patents indicate a control system used in guiding a forklift to a pallet locale;
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,501 of Jan. 28, 1964, Jerome H. Lemelson illustrates and describes his automatic warehousing system. Along an overhead track, an assembly of a vertical track is moved horizontally. At selected locations a fork subassembly is moved up and down on its vertical track assembly to lift loads into and out of various spaced storage volumes, each having fork receiving volumes. The respective horizontal and vertical positions of the vertical track assembly and its fork subassembly are determined by utilizing photoelectric scanners carried by them, which scan the positions of indicating reflective markers respectively located on the overhead track and on the vertical members of the racking system;
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,258 of Jun. 15, 1993, Lester M. Yeakley discloses his illumination apparatus for a robotic object handling system. His system uses two angularly directed light sources, carried by a movable gripper mechanism, to eventually light up an entry to a selected storage tray among many like trays positioned in an overall close spaced arrangement to receive, for example, magnetic tape cartridges. When the selected storage tray is in position to receive the movable gripper mechanism, a shadow is cast immediately below the entry of the tray;
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,535 or Aug. 29, 1995, John H. Williams illustrates and describes his firearm non-firing sight alignment system. A laser light assembly is mounted in a housing, which in turn, by use of a mandrel, is exactly concentrically aligned with a firearm's muzzle. The collimated beam of light from the laser light assembly is directed to a target. Then as may be necessary, the sights of the firearm are aligned with the same target.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,205 of Feb. 8, 1994, Bernard H. White discloses his laser guided vehicle positioning system. In parking areas or volumes, laser lighting equipment is placed to direct a guiding beam of light along a selected direction. A vehicle equipped with an observable target area at a predetermined location on its windshield is guided into the parking area by the driver maneuvering the vehicle, so the guiding beam of light is always being reflected and observed in the target area.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,376 of Nov. 12, 1985, Archie Cofer illustrates and describes his trailer hitch lamp guide. A lamp mounted on the tongue of a trailer directs a beam of light upwardly and forwardly at an angle. When a towing vehicle equipped with a translucent target member is backed up, as the hitching position is approached, the directed beam of light is observed on the translucent target member. When the center of the beam of light is centered on a preselected portion of the translucent target member, the driver of the towing vehicle then knows the respective trailer hitch components are in a pre-cooperative coupling position.
These U.S. patents collectively disclose the utilization of light beams, which via their reflections at designated locations, help observers to make adjustments in positioning components, and/or help robotic equipment to make adjustments in positioning components.